With the weekend having arrived and Bel still very upset, Dino had honestly been too scared to leave his charge home alone, but he had to go into town and run errands. It had been as hard for him as it was for Bel to get the boy out of bed and dress him, and it broke his heart to know that the younger was still crying for reasons he didn't know. Dino truly wished there was something he could do to help, but how was he supposed to do so when he had no idea where to start?

To the teacher's relief, Bel had been able to force himself to stop crying once they had gotten into the car and left the house. He was still feeling miserable, but he knew he couldn't let that show; if strangers saw how vulnerable he was, they would only hurt him.

"I need to run in and put down another payment first." Dino looked over to Bel to check on the boy. He found him leaning heavily against the car door with his face paler than usual. His tone softened as he turned back to the road. "After that, I need to get some more cleaning supplies from the shop nearby. Then we'll have some lunch before we go food shopping."

Bel didn't make any sign that he had heard the other; he instead absentmindedly slid his fingers beneath his sleeve and picked at the bandage wrapped securely around his thin limb. Dino winced as he saw this, afraid that his charge had been self-harming the night previous, but he knew better than to interrogate Bel; if he were to make the other feel as if he was being accused, it would only upset the younger blond even more.

"You know you can always come to me for anything, Bel…" Reaching across, Dino patted Bel's knee. "No matter what it's for; if you need anyone, I'm always here, Bel. I'm never going to go anywhere."

Bel had to fight to keep himself from crying again at these words. He knew he could trust Dino, and that his guardian did love and care for him, but he was just so scared…! He hesitated to slide his sleeve upwards and slowly unravel the bandage, but he soon confided in the other that he had indeed taken another knife to his wrist late last night; he hadn't been able to sleep, and he had been so tired, he just wanted to numb himself and collapse into oblivion by any means necessary.

"Bel…" Never having the heart to scold his charge, Dino said softly, "Please trust me enough to tell me when you want to do things like that; I'm scared you might…"

Bel didn't need for his guardian to finish his sentence; he knew that Dino was terrified of finding Bel dead one day. He truly felt bad for putting the man through so much stress, but he couldn't help it; he just wanted so badly to die. "…"

Dino didn't say another word for the rest of the drive, and Bel simply stared out of the passenger window, lost in thought. The smaller male snapped back to reality as he felt the car being parked, and when he looked around, he found that they were in a busy car park. His breathing quickened at this realisation, knowing that it meant there would be lots of people about in town today, and he was going to have to put up with people crowding him.

"Come on, Bel." Dino turned the car off and then got out. He waited patiently for Bel to work up the courage to do the same; he could never expect for his charge to willingly leave what little safety he felt. He locked the car almost a minute later once the boy had finally managed to put his feet on solid ground, and after Bel had come to his side, he started walking. He knew the boy would never be too far behind him, so he didn't have to turn around and check to make sure Bel was with him; the younger blond wouldn't go anywhere without Dino.

Bel hated the claustrophobia he was experiencing as people crowded him so tightly, he could feel them brushing against him. It took everything he had to not cry, but he couldn't hold them back when someone bumped into him and knocked him to the ground. Their sincere apology was lost on him as he went into panic mode, crying loudly as he got back to his feet and ran the way he had come, knowing there was an alleyway he could slip into and hide.

In the boy's panic, he had neglected looking behind him to see if Dino was following or not, and to his utter heartbreak, he soon came to realise that he had become separated from his guardian, and he was all alone in this busy town. Taking shelter behind an old garbage dump, he curled into a ball as he cried, too scared to go back out amongst everyone and search for Dino; maybe if he were lucky, Dino would come looking for him.

~~XX~~

Bel didn't know how long he had been hiding in the alleyway for; all he knew was that, after what felt like an eternity, footsteps started approaching him. The boy's eyes widened and he tried to scoot further out of sight, but it seemed that whoever was coming closer had seen him. His trembling increased as tears fell harder down his cheeks, and when an unfamiliar voice spoke, he whimpered in response.

"What's your name?"

Bel finally lifted his head to see who had approached him. He sniffed and rubbed at his eyes when he found a little boy standing in front of him, wearing tattered clothing as if he had been out here for a long time. His hair and skin was dirty, and though he didn't seem to hold much, if any, expression on his face, his voice at least sounded soft.

"…" Bel looked away at the question and swallowed a thick lump in his throat. However, it seemed that the little boy wasn't deterred by the blond's silence.

"My name's Fran." Coming closer to Bel, the child knelt down so that he was looking into the teenager's face. "That's my spot where you're sitting. I sleep there."

Bel frowned; how was he supposed to reply to something like that? He didn't like to hear that the younger was sleeping here, and he could only imagine how the teal-haired kid felt; he could remember the fear that had consumed him when he had been on the streets for only a few hours before Squalo had found him – to actually live on the streets...

Fran cocked his head to the side and allowed his eyes to wander up and down the blond. He had never seen the other before, so he didn't think his guest was homeless, too. "Are you lost?"

Bel nodded. He brought his knees to his chest so that he could rest his lower face against them and link his hands beneath his legs. "…"

Fran reached out and grabbed one of Bel's hands. He tugged lightly as he got back to his feet and waited until the older male hesitantly stood up as well. "I'll help you get un-lost. Where should we start?"

This was the first time since the assault that Bel hadn't panicked completely over a stranger approaching him – but to be honest, he had never had a kid come near him like this before. He knew that he was absolutely terrified of men, and other male teenagers his own age frightened him.

But a kid? Well, even Bel knew that it was rather unlikely for a kid to harm him the way older males could.

"…" Bel allowed Fran to hold his hand, and he followed the kid back to the entrance of the alleyway. Fran didn't mind the older male's obvious fear; while he certainly couldn't understand it, he had seen enough of the world to make an educated guess that Bel was like this because someone had done something to him.

Bel couldn't help but keep his head ducked as he allowed Fran to lead him through the streets. He cried quietly as he was jostled amongst the crowd, and he tightened his grip on the younger male's hand so he wouldn't lose Fran – not like how he had lost Dino.

But when Bel had caught sight of his guardian's fur-collared jacket, he had whimpered and tugged Fran to the side, leading the kid towards Dino. The older blond, who appeared to have been questioning someone as to whether or not they had seen Bel anywhere, turned around as the woman pointed behind him.

"Bel!" Dino thanked the woman before he ran towards his charge and tripped halfway. He pushed himself up from the ground before continuing on to Bel, and once he was close enough, he put his hand on the boy's shoulder and guided him out of the way of the busy crowd. "Bel, where were you? I was so worried when I realised you weren't with me."

Bel grabbed a tight hold of Dino's shirt and held it like a lifeline. He looked down at Fran, waiting for his guardian to notice the child, too. "…"

"Oh?" Dino smiled brightly at the sight of the two boys holding hands; he had never thought he would see the day his charge allowed someone to touch him like that – Bel was even wary in Dino holding his hand. His expression grew warmer as he realised that Bel had only come to find him because of this kid; how thankful he was towards a child who probably couldn't even tie his own shoelaces. "What's your name?"

"Fran." Emerald eyes looked to Bel. "I found senpai crying in an alleyway. I told him I would help him get un-lost."

"Aren't you sweet?" Dino's smile grew.

"I'm really not." Fran's voice bordered on monotone as his expression remained blank.

The older blond chuckled. "Where's your parents? What were you doing in an alleyway, Fran?"

"They're dead. And that was the alleyway I live in."

Dino's smile was wiped off his face at these words. His heart ached, and as much as he wished he could take this child home and keep him, he was almost too afraid to do so; look at what had happened to Bel because of someone trying to do the right thing…

But there was no way Dino could just leave him here alone…

"I'm very thankful that you helped Bel." Dino looked between the younger two before he continued on. "Would you like to come back to our house and have lunch with us?"

"Are you a pedophile?" Fran showed no emotion at this question, not even when Dino did a double-take. He wasn't oblivious to the way Bel flinched, though; was the blond boy like this because he had encountered a pedophile?

"Of course not, Fran; I've had lots of girlfriends." Surprised that a child so young could know what a pedophile was, Dino rubbed the back of his head.

"Were they adults or five-year-olds? You look a bit like a pedophile to me."

Dino couldn't help but become amused by the youngest's antics. "They were the same age as me, Fran. I promise I'm not interested in people younger than me."

Fran nodded, satisfied by these words. "You have an Italian accent. Can we have Italian food for lunch?"

Dino's smile returned as he got back to his feet. Putting his hand on the small of Bel's back, he guided his charge back into the crowd and in the direction of his car. "How does fettuccini sound, Fran?"

"Never had it." Fran followed behind the two blonds, curious about them; he felt drawn to Bel after how he had found the teen, and Dino really seemed to care about him. Fran had never really been close to anyone before; his parents had given him away to his grandmother at birth, and while his grandmother was nice and looked after him, she was senile, and he had never really been able to bond with her properly. Of course he had been a little saddened when he found her in her bed one morning, having passed away sometime through the night, but he hadn't mourned her; he had just left the house and decided to find a way to survive on the streets.

It wasn't that Fran didn't want a home, but he had survived his whole life without depending on anyone else, and he liked it that way; he only had himself to lean on, and that was completely fine.

~~XX~~

Bel hadn't minded Fran coming over for lunch; the younger had quickly accepted the fact that Bel didn't talk and had instead held Dino's attention whenever he felt like having a conversation. The boy liked how Fran would talk to him but never seemed to expect a response; he felt as if he were accepted for who he was, and it was comforting to him.

Bel also didn't mind when Fran decided he wanted to stay longer and had followed him into his bedroom; Fran was a quiet guest and had soon busied himself with picking up a book from the ground and settling down in a corner to read it.

The blond had laid back down on his bed, his TV playing quietly in the background as he grabbed his phone from his nightstand. He had forgotten to bring it into town with him, and he was happy to find that there were unread text messages from his friends on it. There was one from Tsuna, two from Yamamoto, and quite a few from both Gokudera and Ayane.

Deciding that he wanted to read Ayane's messages first, Bel opened the thread and read. Hello, baby; how are you? Want to come over tonight? My parents won't be home.

Bel liked the idea of being home alone with Ayane; he had been to her house before, and her father was a very big, buff man who, while he seemed nice enough, had made the boy feel as if he were in danger. He had burst into tears and backed away, and he hadn't been able to move any further inside the house until he had left them alone. Replying back with nimble fingers, he wrote, I have to ask Dino first.

Reading through the rest of her messages, Bel responded to them accordingly before looking at Gokudera's messages. He was still upset about that day up on the rooftop, so he didn't reply to any of them; he wasn't ready to talk to his friend again just yet.

Bel put his phone beneath his pillow as he waited for Ayane to respond. He lay quietly in his bed as he focused his attention on the TV. He was feeling a little better than he had over the past few days, but also exhausted from all the stress he was constantly under; letting his eyes slip closed, he only intended on resting them, but he was out to it like a light.

Fran, who had already finished the book, stood up and approached Bel. He knew the other was asleep, so as quietly as he could, he pulled himself up onto the bed as well and rested against the older male. It had been quite a while since he had felt the comfort of a mattress, and never before had he ever felt the warmth of another person by him as he slept.

Needless to say, when Dino opened the door to check on them a while later, he couldn't help but take a photo of the two and send it to Squalo. He hoped the long-haired man would be happy to hear that Bel had made another friend; despite what had happened, Squalo was still extremely fond of Bel and only wanted the best for him.

It was just a shame that Xanxus was still in the picture, and worse than ever; Dino would have loved to bring Bel back to see Squalo, but he couldn't; not when he would only be putting them all in danger once again.

~~XX~~

Dino had been happy for Bel to stay the night at Ayane's home; it allowed him to spend more time with Fran and try to find a way to get the child off the streets.

Bel had enjoyed the ramen Ayane had cooked for him, and he liked the idea of going upstairs to her room afterwards to watch a movie; he liked laying on her comfortable bed and feeling her hands pat him.

That was currently what the two were doing; Bel laying cuddled against Ayane as she run her hand up and down his side. The boy didn't mind her touch; she had already eased him into letting her do this to him.

However, tonight, she wanted more.

"…!" Bel shuddered and jerked away with wide eyes as he felt a hand slip beneath his striped shirt. He rolled over to look at Ayane, and his bottom lip stuck out as he felt tears well up in his eyes; did she really want to do stuff with him so soon…?

"What's the matter, baby?" While Ayane had never officially become Bel's girlfriend, she knew the boy thought they were dating. She allowed him to believe that, going along with it and coaxing everything she could from the blond. "You don't like being touched there?"

Bel shook his head. He reached out to grab Ayane's wrists. He was ever-so-gentle as he pushed them away, hoping she would understand; he could tolerate her touching him through his clothing, but he wasn't ready to let anyone beneath just yet.

Ayane, however, was feeling persistent tonight; reaching back out, she put her hand on Bel's hip. "It's okay, baby; my parents aren't home and so no one will even know. I promise. No need to be shy."

Bel, again, was extremely gentle as he pushed Ayane away from him, unable to bear the idea of hurting her; he would never hurt what he liked, after all. "…"

Ayane leant forward to steal a kiss from Bel. He kissed back, but he was more hesitant than usual; he felt uncomfortable, as if he was being pushed into something she wouldn't let him back out of. And then he felt it; the unwelcome hand that had slid past the waistband of his pants and travelled downwards to cup his testicles.

Bel felt as if he were completely frozen, his eyes wide with horror as he noticed the confused look on the girl's face. He could feel her fingers wandering, as if she were searching for something. When she spoke, the boy had never felt as embarrassed as he did right now.

"Where's the other one?" And then, when it clicked in her mind, a disgusted look crossed Ayane's face as she pulled her hand out from his pants.

Bel didn't hang around to listen to what she had to say; he had never ran out of a house so fast before. Not stopping until his legs carried him to the closest house belonging to one of his friends, he finally understood what Gokudera had tried to tell him; he really didn't know anything about romantics, but he knew that no meant no, and the fact that she had kept going…

You were right, Hayato… Feeling tears sliding down his cheeks, Bel never looked back; he felt as if his heart had been ripped out of his chest, and never before he had felt as heartbroken as he did now. He had been sure he was falling in love with Ayane, and he thought that she loved him back. But… What she had just done…

Bel knew now that he should have listened to Gokudera instead of letting himself get so attached.